5 Years
by Blackness
Summary: May be a minor spoiler from DH but unless you have read it, you wouldn't know. After 5 years heartbroken Hermione returns from Australia to see her friends. Might be HarryHermione  HermioneTonks HermioneOC.
1. Chapter 1

I own nothing but the story line in this story and Dan. May be a minor spoiler from DH but unless you have read it, you wouldn't know. After 5 years heartbroken Hermione returns from Australia to see her friends. Might be Harry/Hermione Hermione/Tonks Hermione/OC. Before death of 2 characters Ron/Hermione, Lupin/Tonks.

**5 Years Ago Today** Hermione's life had changed.

5 Years since the war has ended. The good side won. But there were losses. Hermione and Ron had finally opened up to each other. They had confessed there love. Sadly this was not to last. Ron was killed. Lupin had also been killed. Tonk's was devastated. Hermione stayed at Tonks as she was concerned about her and to comfort her.They were both in tears and had spent the night together, neither wanting to be alone Hermione staying at Tonk's. Harry felt guilty blaming himself for not acting sooner.

Hermione left the next night, leaving a note saying she was going to Australia to see her parents. They got regular letters from her. She was OK. She was dealing with her grief and was getting on well with her parents and had gone to university and studied further magic in her free time. She also wrote in her letter about a guy called Dan who was helping her lot get over Ron. After 2 years of dating himThey were engaged but he was killed in a car crash during her training with social services. She remebered getting the news. She had cried and started to think she was cursed, then logic took over and she said tejhre was no conclusive evidence to support this. Though after that she never got together with anyone again part of her afraid what might happen if she let a man have her ehart then have it ripped out again.

She had trained as a social worker and liaison between the wizarding world helping children adjust to there magic if there is no magic in there family with parents helping them accept the children and helping those with problems. After 5 years she had been asked to do some work in England. She apparated to the ministry picked up the file then left to find the child. Once she was sure the child had and their parents understood a little about there gift (Which had taken a day) she thought she'd better find some place to stay. She went to the Leaky Cauldron but there were no rooms available. Sighing with frustrating she wondered were else she could go. She remembered the burrow but felt awkward if she turned up but she had no were else to go. She decided she'd fly...yes you heard right Hermione was now a confident flyer who rode a broomstick like a pro (which she had learnt from Dan).

She sent a protonus to the Burrow. As she arrived over the hill she saw Harry and Ginny waiting. She did an amazing twist dived low, just for fun before pulling up at the last minute (like a wonky feite) and smiled as has landed at there open mouths.

"Hermione..."

"...You've changed"

Hermione smirked at there expression looking down at them and glanced down at herself. She was wearing a smart jeans, a red t-shirt and Black jacket. Her hair was now dark brown, straight with purple and red highlights. She had musical note earring and necklace with a musical note ring on her engagement finger.

"Hey guys, nice to meet you again" she got off the4 broom and threw herself into Harry and Ginny's waiting arms.

"I'm sorry its been so long, its just...well you know, how are you guys, you 2 are still together right?"

"It's complicated, I'll tell you later, come on lets go and see mum, she's been so excited knowing your coming, cooking up a storm"

"I've missed her cooking, think it'll be OK if i stay? The hotels full?"

"Yea no problem, you can use Fred and Georges room, they moved out a while ago, come on"

They walked to the burrow Hermione saw it and felt she was home.


	2. Tonks is missing

Hey Sorry I changed the second chapter a little. I will be updating in the next 2 days. Watch this space. Thanks for the support. Blackness


	3. Tonks is missing 2

Sorry its been so long, I've been sooo busy. Hope you enjoy. Blackness

"Hey guys, Hows you doing?" Hermione walked into the warm, familiar house. She loved the smell of cooking.

Hermione it's great to see you dear said Mrs Weasley throwing her arms round her neck

"Don't think because of Ron your never welcome here, You are always welcome"

Hermione let go of Mrs Weasley to be hugged by George and Fred

"Our saviour has arrived" both remember how Hermione had shielded them from a death curse as she was running passed them in a battle as they lay sprawled over the floor. She smiled at the twins, she had always thought thye were so gifted...just not academically in her sense.

"The charm? No problem first time I actually tried it to be honest. .Hows business? You been busy? You doing well?"

"Brilliant. We have new products! Oh its so great to see you again" they both hugged her again

She saw Percy, Arthur, Bill and Fleur and smiled at them. They were sitting down to dinner as it felt good to be back amongst them

"How are the order members? Tonks? Kingsly?"

"They are OK...all except Tonks, she was so sad at what happened to Lupin and so angry, we went to her house 3 years ago and found a note saying she was leaving to forget this life, going somewhere and never coming back...the auror thought it might have been a trap by a death eater but did an ordinary charm over the letter and it revealed nothing new, we haven't seen her since she disappeared, we have no idea were she is???"

Hemrione stopped eating

"Why did no one tell me I'd have come back and help look for her..."

"she's been missing so long, we wanted to keep searching but well we all had our own issues to deal with"

"I'm sorry guys, I should have been here but I had to see my parents,after seeing what happened to Ron and how you fought Mrs Weasley all I wanted to do was make sure my parents were OK, they were luckily nobody had bothered them"

"I sometimes forget that you had parents" Said Harry

She smiled "You know all I did to protect them Harry, I had to...Oh if only I'd have stayed a while longer to help Tonks'"

Then she remembered something

"Were was Tonk's letter? Do you have it?"

Percy looked at Hermione

"I duplicated the message when I received it"

George and Fred looked shocked at Percy

Percy looked back indignantly

"Well after all that happened at the Ministry I still don't trust putting things in there hands, I'll get it"

Percy and Hermione peered over the message, Hermioine saw 2 things wrong and pulling all her letter out of her bag

"Has Tonk's written to any of you?"

"A letter"

"Can you get it for me, I've found something I want to look at"

She looked at her letters

"Something was up when Tonks wrote this, she wasn't in her right frame of mind"

Looking at the letter Harry had brought, she looked over the 'I's'

"Look this I is wrong, it has a dot over it not a star, Tonks always wrote with stars over her I's, I remember her telling me it was always how people could tell it was her for the order but even at school, she showed me her work and this was done...also this was written by a Quill rather than a pen, look at your letter, she hated writing in ink because it took so long, compared to writing in pen as her father had shown her, her writing also written regular style, look the letters are not slanted to the right like most right handed people"

Mrs Weasley and everyone looked over the letter

"Tonk's may have written this but she was not in her right frame of mind, could she to be being controlled by a curse? Do people under there control write as normal when under the curse?" She said looking around her

"No not always, they can be uncharacteristic in writing but its possible because they are not thinking, they are just writing, could she be warning us?

"How would we know? We wouldn't. No I don't think this was written by her directly. Your right. How did you know that Hermione?"

"Just some tips from my ex fiancé, who was a police officer studying human science, of course everything I've pointed out could be circumstantial,"

"We'll speak to the ministry tomorrow, will you come"

"Sure I will..." Her beeper went off and she looked at it

"Oh, hang on need to make a call, will it work?"

"There are no more enchantments on this house, so it should do"

She called

"Hello, Nag's what can I do for you???"

"Tomorrow there is going to raid on a house, we know has at least 2 children, we need someone available who can comfort the children but also make sure they are unharmed, we also suspect that there may be a slave child there and we want someone to be able to talk to the child and you are known as the best? 6am near Morning side house"

"OK you got it, will meet you there, apparate?"

"No fly, you know the enchantments to use"

"Yes, OK I'll be there for 5.30"

"Thanks, Bye"

Hermione, Harry and Ginny went out the back to talk.

"Earlier, you said your relationship was complicated?"

"What about your fiance? You didn't tell us you were engaged? We knew you were dating Dan"

"Oh" Said Hermione her eyes ushered with tears that she would not let fall. "He died a week after the proposal, we told his family and mine but in my excitement and guilt, I forgot to tell you, thinking I would have plenty of time to tell you, you guys?"

"Well Ginny is pregnant but the child's not mine, its a drunken mistake according to her, and she won't terminate"

"I was under the influence of alcohol, i got carried away with a guy but you know the strange thing, Harry and I have been trying for children for years and nothing, then I sleep with this guy once and I'm pregnant, that's why I don't want to terminate, this could be our only way to have a child"

"A child that wouldn't be mine!"

"Not everyone can have children, we went to the fertility clinic, its no different from adopting"

"At least adopting, I'd have a say"

Hermione felt torn between the two

It was a tough dilemma and she felt she could offer no advice, yes Ginny should not have cheated on Harry even under the influence of alcohol, but she could understand Ginny's need to want to keep the baby and maybe something was up with Harry. Hermione was always able to see both sides of an argument, when she wasn't in it.

She said her good nights, she needed plenty of sleep before the raid tomorrow. She was dreading it. As a social worker she had to go into to make sure the children were unharmed, she didn't just liaison between parents of gifted children but children in general, she liked to help and found this as her best way of helping those children. She ahd seen some horrors and had no idea what she would witness tomorrow. What she didn't know however was that tomorrow was going to change her life...forever.


	4. The cold and lonely child

5 Years Part 3

OK I've updated a little. You need tot ell me what you think. More will be added in the following weeks, i'm hoping at least a chapter a week. I was trying to think of a profession for Hermione and I'm sure there must be soemthing like a liason for children between muggle and magic children.

Hermione awoke to the sound of her alarm clock. 5pm...ahh what a drag..well she was grateful for one thing, magic for getting there shortened her time even if she did have to fly. She loved flying now she had learnt. She remembered Tonk's had given her lots of lessons about how to fly and had improved her confidence. This was all hush hush before she went into battle on one of their girlie weekends away. Ginny hadn't been able to make that weekend and Hermione found it nice, to have another to talk to that was not obsessed with boys or make up like all her school friends. She left the house quietly and arrived at the meeting place with 10 minutes to spare. She was good she thought. She checked her face over, her hair which was now straighter, she had pulled two bits of her hair up off the side if her face in a half up, half down way that looked a little wind swepped but nothing bad. She found this style good as it was less threatening and authoritative that having her hair in a bun

"Hermione, so glad you could come and help...I really am grateful"

"No problem, do we know anything else about the child in there care?"

"We do not, we are going for a clean sweep, you of course follow once we have given the signal, you locate the children, no heroics"

"You know me..."

"That's why I'm telling you"

At 6 O'clock they entered and swept the place, Hermione followed 5 minutes later and set off in search of the child while the aurors held the adults. She used a simple locating spell. She found the dungeon and as she opened the door she saw two children laying on the floor. Quickly she checked there pulses and breathing. They were dead and stone cold. Hermione could start to smell the decay, She would never forget that sight. She looked around the dungeon further and found a small girl, chained to a wall, naked and shivering. This girl was consouse though just barely. Hermione removed the enchantment that kept her attached to the wall and gently levitated her in the air. She guided her to her arms and carried her out of the dungeon, transfiguring a sack into a blanket and wrapping her in it. She proceeded to carry this girl. She met the aurors at the top. 2 DC's down there. Code for 2 dead children. The witch looked at her with shock and sent someone down to make sure and retrieve the bodies.

By this time the family had been taken away and Hermione apparated the girl to St. Mungo's hospital. She went straight to a healer (The child was her priority) and she helped the mediwitch perform the enchantments on her. They did a scan spell to ee hwat hexes had been used on her amd were startled. A complex memory charm had been used in her, the mediwitch said while she was able to treat these curses, she could not remove the memory curse. The person had to remember n their own time. After all this was done, Hermione waved her wand and instantly cleaned the girl up now her injuries were healed. She was quite pretty, brown silky though knotted hair and a pale complexion. She decided to stay with the child so when she awoke she could speak to her. As she sat there she couldn't put off the feeling of something familiar.

The girl awoke a few hours later and Hermione smiled at for the first time.

"Hey sweety, My names Hermione, what's yours?"

"Nessy"

"Nessy, that's a unique name for a unique girl. How you feeling?"

"I am feeling strange, were am I?"

"St. Mungo's, you weren't so good when we found you, can you remember what happened?"

"I was a slave, Oh my gosh is my master mad?"

"No Nessy, His not...well he might be but his in prison at the moment for doing horrible things to muggles"

Oh so whose slave am I?"

"No one's your free"

"I don't remember being free, I think I have been a servant all my life"

"Have you? Well here's your chance, look I need to get some food, are you hungry?"

"Yes"

"What would you like?"

"I can have anything?"

"We'll start you on something light how about some nice warm soup and bread to start you off"

"I get hot soup? I used to only be allowed cold soup"

"To start off with until your body gets used the extra food"

A bowl appeared beside Hermione making Nessy jump, Hermione also had soup appear in front of her and bread rolls

"Lets dine."

"I can eat with you mistress?"

"Nessy I am not your mistress, you are not a slave, you are free"

Nessy hesitantly took a sip of her soup after watching Hermione and swallowed quickly. She felt her insides warm and smiled at Hermione before taking another spoonful.

She stayed in hospital for the rest of the night and Hermione stayed with her sleeping outside. Her sleep seemed prety soundless, no nightmares awoke Hermione as she crashed out. The healer arrived the next morning and took a look at Nessy.

"She's OK to go...wereever she is going"

Hermione had called the social services and asked were the girl could stay. They didn't have any idea. She was to come down to the main house and answer a few questions with Hermione's supervision before sending her off ot stay in rest bite care temporarily. Hermione smiled as she took the Nessy's hand and then noticed what she thought was a tinge of pink in her hair, shaking it off as a trick of the light and the fact it wasn't there any more, she took Nessy to the home to answer the questions. Nessy gave little away she did to know of her past or her life before her owners. Hermione listened the tale. Fancy not remembering your past. This was going to take a lot of work if she was to remember what had happened to her and find her home. Hermione left her in care that afternoon and looked around London for an apartment, while her job did not pay great her parents had given her some money, she had some of Dan's and saved. She started to look for a place, rent to buy in a quaint flat. She went to the house

"Good evening David, How you been?

"Fine thanks, how can I help you Hermione?"

"You know you said about renting your house to me when I spoke to you last, May I enquire as to the rent of this property?"

"Month to Month rent, I travel a lot so I need to be able to stay but I only come back over Christmas, Easter and two weeks in the summer"

"£400 a month rent, are any bills included?"  
"No but the flat is fully furnished with all the conveniences, come have a look around, see what you think"

She started looking round the flat, it was small but cosy, the furniture was nice and ot had two rooms

"Thank You, I think I shall rent it for now"

"It's month to month which will be debited from your account, should you deem this suitable with a £400 deposit is required"

"OK £400 upfront when can I move in?"  
"Well I leave tonight so tomorrow if you like, as it is the end of the summer I leave, here are the keys...Good Luck"

"Thank You, Good day David"

"Nice seeing you again, Hermione"

This was the start o Hermione's new life.


End file.
